But the Wildcats turned to Coble's replacement in the starting
lineup, Jeremy Nash, who scored 20 points to lead Northwestern
to a 77-55 victory.

Nash scored nine first-half points, including a resounding dunk
to set the early tone for the Wildcats, who took a 39-25
halftime lead. Luka Mirkovic had six points and Nash five in a
decisive 15-1 first-half run.

Northern Illinois got within 42-34 on a basket by Tyler Storm
just over three minutes into the second half. But Northwestern
responded with an 11-1 run sparked by Nash. The 6-4 senior was
too quick to the basket for the Huskies.

Nash showed his range with a three-pointer and capped his
impressive performance by flying through the air to block a shot
from behind.

Before the game, all the attention was on Coble, a second-team
All-Big Ten selection a year ago when he averaged 15.5 points a
game. The 6-8 senior forward, on crutches, disclosed that he was
considering surgery after hurting his left foot Tuesday in
practice.

Northwestern also took a blow during the game when Ryan crumbled
to the floor after making a pass and was helped off the court
with an apparent leg injury. Ryan did not return to the bench.

Northern Illinois was led by Xavier Silas, who scored 18 points
before fouling out late in the second half. Darion Anderson
fouled out with 15 for the Huskies. The Wildcats were 34 of 48
from the free throw line, while NIU was only 13 of 26.